The Hanoitimes - ​A project to support environmentally sustainable and inclusive development in the provincial capital cities of Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hue was signed today.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Provincial People’s Committees of Ha Giang, Vinh Phuc and Thua Thien-Hue today signed project agreements totaling US$223.87 million for the Secondary Green Cities Development Project.
The total project investment includes US$3 million in grant financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and US$3 million from the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF), which is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In addition, the technical assistance accompanying the project is US$12.8 million, of which US$10.8 million will be financed by the GEF and US$2.0 by the UCCRTF.
“The ADB will help the cities of Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hue integrate green features into their urban infrastructure, such an energy efficient street lighting and nature-based embankments,” said Eric Sidgwick, ADB country director for Vietnam.
Building on ADB’s support in preparing Green City Action Plans for the three cities, this project will demonstrate how the right mix of integrated urban planning and blended financing can improve livability, resilience and economic opportunities in cities, the ADB Vietnam said in a release.

A view of Hue city.

Because of rapid urbanization, almost all 31 million people living in cities in Vietnam are facing emerging socioeconomic and environmental challenges. Unlike the five centrally administered cities, the development of secondary cities is lagging. Many communities in these cities are becoming increasinly vulnerable to climate change and disaster risks, according to ADB.
Secondary cities’ slow development not only prevents them from contributing to the country’s socioeconomic growth but also reduces job opportunities and results in worsening livable environments for locals and migrant workers. Responding to such a city’s complex socioeconomic and financial constraints requires strategic support in upstream city planning and the identification of effective investments.
The government and ADB jointly selected Ha Giang, Vinh Yen and Hue as demonstration cities because they represent different socioeconomic characteristics, developments constraints, and geographic locations, the bank said.
“While demonstrating green city development, the project, supported by grant financed technical assistance, which will also help formulate a regulatory framework for sustainable and resilient cities that will be scaled up for nationwide secondary green city development in Vietnam and pilot test disaster risk financing for Hue,” Sidgwick added.
Expected to be completed in December 2023, the project will help the three cities improve green and resilient urban infrastructure services and scale up climate adaptation that will benefit about 116,000 housholds, including about 6,100 poor and near-poor households. For all subprojects, the Provincial People’s Committees - the executing agencies - will strengthen institutional capacity for urban development management.